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Am I right for this forum?

I’ve been an Audiogon member for some years now; I remember (fondly) "millercarbon," for example, which will mean something to some of you. And I’ve been a lover of audio equipment since high school—so, for over 50 years (I graduated in 1973). And yet...more and more, I find myself alienated from this forum, even though I do still read it regularly.

I do have what I consider a very "high-fidelity" system. I’ve written a very long account of my "audio journey," complete with many photos, but not "published" it on this site. I’m also a member of our local audio club, which includes several very well-heeled members who have systems costing more than most homes (one of them owns equipment valued at nearly a million dollars, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg: his system is housed in a separate structure purpose-built for it that cost well over a million). I play cello and guitar; my wife plays piano, my daughter piano and violin. We play those instruments in the same room occupied by my main audio system, and so I can attest to the "fidelity" of that system’s reproduction.

And yet...my system cost me less than $3,000 in total. I don’t lust after any particular "upgrade," even though I read reviews and all the many accounts of improvements in "SQ" documented in this forum.

So...am I an "audiophile," or not? Do I belong here, or not?


I’m listening right now to a wonderful bit of Mozart. I also love Tool. And Christy Moore. And Eva Cassidy. And so many others. I agree with Nietzsche: without music, life would be a mistake. But am I an audiophile? Do I belong on this forum?

Any sympathy here? Anyone else feel alienated from the "audiophile community" despite loving the miracle of audio technology?

128x128snilf
coltrane1's avatar
coltrane1
796 posts
 

If you have to ask, no. 

phd
1,320 posts
 

Remember, this stuff is all subjective and many of the members like the one you mentioned either have left or passed away, don't have any statistics just an educated guess. Email them to see what you can find out. Maybe the ones that left some have grown tired of the constant upgrade path and others are just content with what they have. Regardless, I can't imagine any true audiophiles not wanting to stay connected to Audiogon and talk about their favorite hobby.

jhw9
39 posts
 

A smart $3,000 system is superior to a dumb $30,000 system. Or certainly an even more obtuse 300k stack of gear with cryo everything but bad speaker placement. In this hobby.. these scenarios are easily entirely possible (especially if you're listening in a normal sized room).

If you can see through the nonsense and still enjoy music via your system.. 'Bob' is your proverbial uncle. My speakers are 25 years old.. I've an amp I still listen to a lot that's 30yo (and they both were considered budget gear back then). The rewarding challenge is getting more by spending less.. buying used.. seeing though all the metaphorical superfluous cosmetic veneer. This isn't politics.. it's about helping us all find our way and enjoying ourselves without going broke.

if that resonates.. chime in.. don't worry about it.

bob540
407 posts
 

It didn’t take me long to realize that, in the 4 years I’m been coming to this forum, there is a wide range of money spent on one system versus another.  As the old saying goes, “One person’s ceiling is another person’s floor”, or they don’t even live on adjacent floors!  Also, some have been at this for decades and sampled many pieces of equipment.  This is especially evident when someone asks for recommendations and people respond with equipment names (let alone models) that I have never heard of.  
 

I know that my knowledge is very limited, so I end up reading, or skinning through the comments, hoping to learn a bit and knowing I cannot be much help to the OP.  I still come here to read, but I’m less inclined to post because I don’t think I can offer much compared to other members.  

emergingsoul
1,171 posts
 

So we both have something in common. We don’t feel we belong and we have not posted our virtual system.

I recently described my system but no pictures.

It’s really cool you and your family Play piano. And then you play cello so that means you have a very calm soul. I’m guessing you don’t have a TV set in your listening room. Not sure you’re listening to YouTube very much. I find it absolutely remarkable how much stuff is there and the sound Quality can be very good

So does this mean someone’s playing a piano all the time in your house because everybody’s got to practice a little here and there. I played trumpet when I was younger and how awful that must’ve been to listen to when I practised.

Anyway I think you should post your system since you have all these glorious pictures you speak about. Time to immortalize your existence. You will be in great company.

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